The present invention relates to a barrier device for a pool skimmer which is constructed to prevent leaves and other debris in the pool from entering the pool skimmer basket.
In most swimming pools, leaves and other debris in the pool can enter the pool skimmer intake and fill the pool skimmer basket to block the flow of water back to the pump. In such cases, the pump fills with air and ceases to pump water. If this continues, the pump motor can burn up. Also, if a pool owner runs the pool during colder weather, the pool equipment (pump, heater, valves, etc.) can freeze and sustain significant damage when the flow of water ceases.
Various types of screen or filter devices have been disclosed or used in the prior art for preventing leaves and other debris from entering a pool skimmer basket or the like. While they have generally served their purpose, they have been subject to one or more of the following disadvantages:
1. They have been complicated in construction;
2. They have been expensive to manufacture;
3. They have been large and unsightly;
4. They have easily become clogged if not frequently emptied of debris;
5. They have not been durable;
6. They have been difficult to install in a pool; and/or
7. They have not maintained a flow of water through the pool pump if blocked by debris.
The new and improved barrier device of the present invention is not subject to any of the above-listed disadvantages and possesses certain advantages not found in the prior art devices.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical barrier device for a pool skimmer which prevents the flow of leaves and other debris into the pool skimmer basket and insures continued circulation of water between the pump and the swimming pool.
In accordance with the present invention, the barrier device comprises an upper laterally extending section and a lower depending section that may be hollow and in communication with each other to enable the flow of water from the bottom of the lower section to the outer end of the upper section. The barrier device is installed in a pool by inserting the upper section in the pool skimmer intake such that the lower section is disposed adjacent to or near the pool wall extending downwardly from the skimmer intake. In this manner, the bottom of the lower section is located beneath the surface of the water in the pool and the pool water circulates from the bottom of the lower section, through the upper section, through the skimmer basket, and back to the pool. In one embodiment, the outer wall of the lower section prevents debris on the pool water surface from entering the skimmer intake and thereby insures that the skimmer basket will not become clogged with debris. It also insures that a free flow of water continues through the skimmer, preventing air from entering and clogging the system.
In another embodiment, the outer wall of the upper section prevents debris from entering the skimmer intake and the lower section is in the form of one or more conduits of any suitable shape extending downwardly from the outer wall of the upper section into the pool water below the upper surface thereof.
In a further embodiment, a receptacle such as a net or screen may be removably mounted on the barrier device adjacent the outer wall thereof and below the pool water surface for receiving debris accumulating on the pool water surface adjacent the outer wall of the lower section. One or more screened holes may be provided in the outer wall just below the pool water surface to create a current to draw debris into the receptacle.